MANILA – A man who worked as a janitor while studying law at the Universidad de Manila was among the 3,747 examinees who passed the 2016 Bar Examinations, the results of which were released at the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Ramil Comendador, 35, was teary-eyed as he recalled how difficult it was to study law by night, while having a full-time job at the Commission on Elections, where he was a janitor for four years. He is now an election assistant.

A father of two, he told News5 in an interview how he had been forced to spend time away from his children to focus on his studies.

“Sasabihin mong ”Nak, ‘wag muna kasi may exam ako.’ Napasakit po noon (For you to say, ‘Not now, child, I have an exam.’ That was very painful for me),” Comendador said.